Guidelines

Derived from the input of States, civil society, international organizations and private sector actors, these voluntary and non-binding Guidelines to Protect Migrants in Countries Experiencing Conflict or Natural Disaster reflect the outcome of the MICIC Initiative.

Repository of practices

Cities and residents across Europe have been playing a crucial role in welcoming migrants, including refugees. Urban areas provide an opportunity to achieve economic independence and a sense of community. They have the facilities required to meet newcomers’ immediate needs, as well as offer opportunities for long-term social and economic integration.

2011 was a point of personal and academic transition for me. Having relocated to Japan to pursue graduate studies, my arrival coincided with the devastating Great East Japan earthquake in March. The tragedy pushed me to refocus my field of study on the impacts of natural and man-made disasters on migrants. Over the following six years, one thing became clear to me:

to increase the resilience of migrants in times of disaster, we must tap into their social capital.

Somalia - With the ongoing conflict in Yemen, Somalis are returning home by the hundreds. To assist returning Somalis to better reintegrate and to promote peaceful coexistence between the returnees and their host communities, IOM, the UN Migration Agency donated fishing equipment and boats to local fishing cooperatives in Mogadishu.

Paris – The first International Forum on Migration Statistics begins today (15/01) in Paris. The Forum, organized jointly by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) gathers close to 700 statisticians, researchers, policy makers and representatives from civil society.

MEXICO CITY — As winter cold sweeps over parts of Mexico, authorities there are issuing travel warnings and, they say, stepping up aid for migrants traversing dangerous routes.

With frost and snowfall reported in the country's northern and northeastern regions, the National Institute of Migration took to Twitter on Tuesday to warn travelers to take "extreme precautions to prevent respiratory diseases, hypothermia, injuries and falls when traveling along little-trafficked routes. Do not risk your life!"

Peter Sutherland, who died yesterday aged 71, was a giant on the international stage and a powerful advocate for migration as key to global cooperation, international dialogue and economic well-being.

An Irish citizen, he distinguished himself as a leading United Nations diplomat and advocate for migration, EU Commissioner and global trade negotiator. But if known as “the father of globalization,” for his work founding the World Trade Organization, Sutherland was most passionate about migration.

Aden – During the final days of 2017, IOM, the UN Migration Agency succeeded in completing two movements of stranded Somalis and Ethiopians out of Yemen, despite immense security challenges and difficult sea conditions. Two boats were deployed, one headed to Aden to evacuate Somali refugees, while the other went to Hudaydah to evacuate Ethiopians, who were considered especially vulnerable due to the dangers of rising violence near that port city.